What is a waiver claim and what is the trading deadline?
It is not actually a ‘deadline’ since trades can be made after it. Basically, from the beginning of the season until July 31, teams may make trades among themselves as they wish (subject to the approval of “10-and-5” players). After July 31, any team wishing to trade a player must have that player “clear waivers”. The waiver process works like this: • A team may “ask for waivers” on a player by sending notification of that fact to the MLB offices. • The MLB offices publish to all teams the information that the player has been put on waivers. A claim is published for 3 days. If no team makes a waiver claim, the player “passes (or clears) waivers” and may be traded to any team. • If more than one team puts in a waiver claim for the player, priority of the waiver claim is determined as follows: teams in the same league as the team asking waivers, in order from worst record (as of the claim date) to best, then teams in the other league, in the same order. The highest priority claim stands,
